7 Deadly Books Hitting Screens in 2014

Immersing yourself in a good read and getting the opportunity to personally envision what the characters look like, imagine the setting and fill in the intricate details of the plot is an unmatched experience. When that particular book is transformed onscreen with someone else's vision, the results can be either phenomenal or a let-down, but either way, it is always fun to see the book come to life.

Below, I’ve listed several favorite crime and thriller novels that are being adapted for film this year. So, as any true book-lover would advise, make sure you read the books before you watch!

Divergent: March 21, 2014

Based on the first installment of the YA thriller by Veronica Roth, Divergent takes place in a dystopian Chicago, where society is divided into five ranks depending on each citizen’s personality traits. Although Beatrice Prior was born into an Abnegation family (known for their selflessness), when she takes her aptitude test, she finds that she is placed into three different factions, which means she is Divergent. This is a secret she must keep to herself or risk her life. The film stars Kate Winslet and Miles Teller and was directed by Neil Burger (Limitless, The Lucky Ones).

[You may have to see them all ...]

Sabotage: April 11, 2014

This upcoming film is loosely based on a 1939 detective novel by Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None. It follows a team of DEA agents who are sent to bust the safe house of a drug cartel in order to steal millions of dollars worth of confiscated items. When their little secret comes out, an assassin begins taking out the agents one-by-one. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mireille Enos.

Dark Places: September 1, 2014

The talented author Gillian Flynn has inspired a feature film from her 2009 novel Dark Places. The story follows a woman named Libby who survived the brutal killing of her family when she was younger. Flynn’s setting is 1980’s rural America, a society plagued with satanic cults and poverty. Libby begins to investigate the murder of her family, as well as a set of massacres in her hometown. The film will star Chloe Grace Moretz and Charlize Theron.

The Maze Runner: September 19, 2014

Based on the 2009 YA sci-fi thriller by James Dashner, The Maze Runner presents a Hunger Games-esque dystopia where young boys live in a community after their memory is erased. The young boys are then dropped in a maze and are forced to use their skills to escape. When a girl arrives with a strange note, the boys are forced to take another look at their world. The film stars Dylan O’Brien.

Gone Girl: October 3, 2014

Author Gillian Flynn has rapidly become a household name in the world of thriller lit (see Dark Places above), and her bestselling novelhad production companies grabbing at the chance to turn it into a feature film. In the end, David Fincher (of Fight Club, Se7en, and The Social Network fame) was named as director, and the film stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, and Neil Patrick Harris. The book and film will explore the marriage of Nick and Amy Dunne after Amy disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary, leaving us all wondering: did Nick kill his wife?

Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1: November 21, 2014

Once again, Katniss Everdeen is back and slinging her arrows. In this first half of the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ final Hunger Games novel, which is broken up into two parts, Katniss becomes the Mockingjay or poster-child of the mass rebellion against the tyrannical Capitol. Again, the film stars the ever-talented Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.

Before I Go To Sleep: Release TBA

This book-to-film adaptation, which stars big names like Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth, is based on the first novel and psychological thriller by J.S. Watson. A woman wakes up each day with no memory, 50 First Dates-style, due to an accident she had when she was younger. When she discovers some truth about herself, she must attempt to understand her past in order to put her life back together. Interestingly, this was the last feature film to use Fuji 35mm film.

Do any of these catch your fancy? Are there any other books you're dying to see adapted, or that you hope Never will be?

Kate Voss is an entertainment blogger. Her all-time favorite book growing up was The Westing Game, and she continues to have a passion for mystery novels. She lives and works in Chicago.

I know it's small-screen, but Irish TV station RTÉ will begin broadcasting "Quirke" tonight. It's a three-part series based on the crime novels of Benjamin Black (John Banville), with Gabriel Byrne in the title role. For trailers see http://www.rte.ie/drama/tv/featured/quirke/index.html

If Sabotage starred a real actor I would probably catch that, but I cannot stand AS. The rest of the films look ok. I keep hoping for the Travis McGee or Lew Archer books to be filmed, but nothing but false alarms thete.